Square Enix announces gamescom 2012 lineup

Square Enix this morning announced their full lineup for the upcoming gamescom 2012 event scheduled for August 15th – 19th in Cologne, Germany.

There will be plenty of Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution, Sleeping Dogs and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn there for visitors to check out along with a number of PC and mobile titles.

Read on for all their plans for the show.

Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announced its lineup for gamescom 2012. This year’s lineup promises to be one of the strongest showings in the company’s history, with some of the biggest franchises in gaming appearing alongside fresh and innovative titles. gamescom will feature the world first exclusive gameplay presentation of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn live on stage, with signing sessions from the game’s Producer/Director Naoki Yoshida on the Friday and Saturday, as well as the first-ever European hands-on demos of the highly anticipated HITMAN: ABSOLUTION, TOMB RAIDER, and SLEEPING DOGS.

Alongside this, Square Enix has an original lineup of digital and mobile titles including the award-winning Quantum Conundrum, the uniquely creative action adventure of Gameglobe , the retro stylings of FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS, and the brand new downloadable PC version of FINAL FANTASY VII.

“gamescom is the biggest European games show and it’s great to be there with such a strong and diverse lineup of interactive experiences. This year we have a mix of some of the industry’s most identifiable characters and a host of highly original content – it’s going to be a great show,” said Phil Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Europe.

To get a first-hand look at the Square Enix lineup, please visit booth B051 in hall 7 of the Koelnmesse. gamescom attendees will be able to preview and play the following titles:

HD Consoles and PC Lineup

FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn – Set in the realm of Eorzea, after the devastating attacks from the Garlean Empire, FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn presents an adventure for players around the world to undertake epic quests and battle with familiar FINAL FANTASY monsters as they work together to help forge the fate of Eorzea.

For more information on the FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn stage presentation and signing session timings, please visit the official Square Enix DE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SquareEnixDE

HITMAN: ABSOLUTION – HITMAN: ABSOLUTION follows The Original Assassin undertaking his most personal contract to date. Betrayed by the Agency and hunted by the police, Agent 47 finds himself pursuing redemption in a corrupt and twisted world.

TOMB RAIDER – Tomb Raider explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a frightened young woman to a hardened survivor. Armed only with raw instincts and the ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance, Lara must fight to unravel the dark history of a forgotten island to escape its relentless hold.

Sleeping Dogs – SLEEPING DOGS is a gritty and visceral open world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong. Taking the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, players are tasked with taking down one of the city’s most fearsome Triad gangs. Every street corner, market stall, harbour dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat. Players perform bone-crunching kicks and combos, vicious counters and cinematic environmental takedowns, making use of real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.

Quantum Conundrum – From the mind of PORTAL co-creator Kim Swift, Quantum Conundrum features engaging puzzle gameplay with the introduction of the Inter-Dimensional Shift Device (IDS), an invention that gives players the ability to shift to and from various dimensions, manipulating the world around them in order to solve puzzles of ever-increasing difficulty.

Gameglobe – Gameglobe is a unique browser-based experience that allows players free access to endless game worlds and creative possibilities, all in HD quality. Players can choose to either create their own game or simply play the multitude of levels available at launch.

(Gameglobe will be appearing at gamescom on the Bigpoint booth, C025-B024, in hall 8.)

Final Fantasy VII – Initially released in 1997, FINAL FANTASY VII was critically acclaimed as the title that redefined the standard for role-playing games. This new downloadable version includes a range of new features such as a Character Booster that enables players to fully power up their characters, cloud saves, and in-game achievements to encourage players to explore various facets of the game.

Mobile Lineup

FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS – Drawing upon the roots of the series with such features as beautiful 2D pixel art, job-driven character growth, additional scenarios in which to inherit the jobs of your adventuring companions, and a classic story of light, darkness, and crystals, FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS delivers the best of FINAL FANTASY, retro and fresh alike, directly to your smartphone.

KooZac – KooZac, the award-winning number puzzler is coming to iOS and Android. Previously released online, the game has been played over 15 million times across 135 countries. KooZac offers three ways to play with the overall objective of positioning the falling blocks on top of each other to make a target number.

Motley Blocks – Motley Blocks is a fast-paced, 3D puzzle game. Drag your finger across the screen to connect blocks of the same colour as they rotate in a cyclonic pattern. Release your touch to send the blocks to the centre of the cyclone and reveal a fun image. Use power-ups to help complete harder levels. In addition to solving puzzles, make your own in the level creator and share them with friends!

Qwirkle – The 2011 Spiel des Jahres winner and the Mensa Best Mind Game of 2007 is coming soon to mobile devices and Facebook. Earn points by building rows and columns of tiles that share a common shape or colour in this matching game that requires tactical manoeuvres and well-planned strategy. Earn achievements and use power-ups to add an additional layer of intricacy to the game. Play with multiple friends asynchronously in classic and arcade modes!

SolaRola – Available on iOS and Android, SolaRola stars Wiz and Waz, the game's blob-like gung-ho duo, tasked with bouncing across a number of challenging planets with the ultimate aim of saving the galaxy. Using whatever comes to hand, the daring pairing must thwart the plans of their nemesis, Ping the Unmerciless, and release the four guardians of SolaRola's universe. With each planet inhabited by all manner of enemies and hazards, the player must navigate Wiz and Waz across a number of ill-positioned obstacles including rocks, slime, bombs and trampolines.

Mensa Academy – Mensa Academy is a brain training game that will give player's minds the ultimate cerebral workout. Created in direct collaboration with Mensa, Mensa Academy is packed with 100+ replayable levels of fun and stimulating mini-games and challenges for everyone, plus for those really looking to test their grey matter, there is a rigorous test designed to calculate your Mensa score, directly inspired by questions faced by those attempting to join the renowned global high IQ society.